NYCC 2012: Capcom Hosts ‘Remember Me’ Panel

23. Jan, 2013

As a gamer who is particularly interested in a game’s artistic vision and believability, I feel that the setting can make or break the project. When I first saw the marketing behind Remember Me, the futuristic gadgets and the protagonist’s new-age look definitely did not peak my interest. Capcom hosted a panel about this game back in October at New York Comic Con 2012 that completely “remixed” my mind.

Remember Me is set in the future but not in a year so distant that it becomes unfathomable. Paris, now referred to as Neo-Paris in the year 2084, provides the backdrop for this new IP. One of the game’s lead artists began by showing us actual pictures of France’s modern architecture side by side with screenshots of the game. He went through the processes involved in ‘futuring up’ the environments that the French developers, Dontnod, are so familiar with. The idea of constructing a feasible future less than 100 years from the present reminded me of the PMCs from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. It was refreshing not to see any aliens or spaceships.

The world as we know it has become bruised and tattered but things are looking up as we join Nilin, the main character of Remember Me, on her journey to figure out what has happened to her. A conglomerate corporation by the name of Memorize is a key player in what has become known as the memory trade. In Neo-Paris, consumers can buy, sell, trade, manipulate, and even erase memories in themselves and others. The memory trade has created controversy, generated wealth, and inspired criminal activity as most world defining changes often do. Nilin makes her living as a memory hunter or memory thief, the moniker given to those who illegally manipulate the thoughts of others.

If the story and setting weren’t enough to turn you on to this title, the gameplay will surely finish the job. At the beginning of the scene we were shown, Nilin breaks out of a prison and completely destroys a few roomfuls of guards. Her signature finishing move involved using one of her gadgets to wipe her foes’ mind clean, utilizing the motions of an execution-style, point-blank range headshot. Remember Me will prove to incorporate a complex combo system that is highly customizable. You will be able to create combinations containing moves with different attributes. Some will regenerate health while others provide power attacks. The combat was similar to what we’ve seen in the latest Batman games but the inclusion of the very well done combo-creator menu really sets this one apart.

After the guards were dealt with and we were satisfied with our combos and their characteristics, it was time to scale some buildings. Guided by her brother Edge, Nilin seeks to rid the world of a man named Frank Forlan. He is somehow connected to Memorize, the memory trade corporation most likely responsible for the phenomenon’s corruption. Nilin uses some smooth and entertaining parkour to approach Forlan’s window. She can’t simply kill him with any traditional method because she and her brother will most likely be first on the usual suspects list. The route Nilin takes brings forward the true genius of Remember Me.

As Nilin watches Forlan through the window of his lofty, high-rise office, she uses her ‘spammer’ to begin looking into his thoughts. She finds the memory of a recent argument between Forlan and his girlfriend. Watching the memory reveals that Forlan throws a wine bottle that completely misses his girlfriend during the heated discussion. She leaves the apartment unscathed. Nilin remixes the memory so that the wine bottle is knocked to the floor, causing Forlan to trip over it during his fit of rage. He is now at eye-level with his gun on a coffee table. Forlan’s girlfriend taunts him, almost begging him to shoot her. The trigger is pulled but nothing happens because the gun’s safety is on. Afraid and shocked that the only thing standing between her and certain death was a safety latch, Forlan’s girlfriend still leaves the apartment unharmed. Nilin rewinds the memory again, this time leaving the wine bottle in place on the floor and turning the gun’s safety off. The altered memory plays through once more, ending with a bang as Forlan’s girlfriend lay dead on the floor.

Although the altered memory does not change what actually happened, we now see an emotionally distraught Frank Forlan falling apart in his office as he is convinced that he accidentally murdered his girlfriend just a few days prior. He kills himself with a bullet to the head just moments before his girlfriend enters the office to mend their relationship.

Remember Me is slated for a May 2013 release for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360.